Page 99 of Beyond the Spotlight Discreet Version
The drive to the hospital is silent. The adrenaline from the attack has left me exhausted. I rest my head on Reynold’s shoulder. Adeline is asleep in his lap. The hospital isn’t too far, so we’re there in less than ten minutes, only held up by rush hour traffic.
Word spread fast about the attack. Paparazzi swarm the entrance to the emergency room. They barely leave a big enough path for us. Uniformed police officers struggle to push everyone back. Reynold’s bodyguards help—Henry, Larson, Melanie, and three more that I see in rotation protecting him.
He called all hands on deck.
The emergency department isn’t too crowded, and we’re immediately taken to a room. I try to argue. My injury isn’t serious, and I worry that I’m taking a spot from someone who needs help more than me. Reynold assures me we’re in a special section of the hospital for VIP patients, where emergency room staff won’t be needed.
I suppose that makes sense. High-profile people sitting in a waiting room would surely create a distraction. This must be a PR nightmare for the hospital. I hope the crowds aren’t causing issues for people who actually need help.
We wait five minutes at most before a woman comes in to inspect my wound. She cleans it again and gives me a shot of lidocaine to numb the area.
“Can you find out if Sarah is okay?” I ask Reynold as the woman stitches me up. Fuck, it hurts, but I put on a brave face. If I don’t, I might just crumble.
He sits in a chair next to where I’m perched on the bed. Addy is in his lap with her head on his chest. She’s sucking her thumb. I’ve never seen her suck her thumb. Perhaps it’s something she does when she’s scared. Or when experiencing trauma.
Reynold types out a message on his phone. After about five minutes, it vibrates with a response.
“The knife missed vital organs. She’s getting stitched up now.”
The nurse or doctor, I’m not sure, finishes my stitches and gives me a tetanus shot as a precaution. Then she says she’ll return with a prescription for pain.
Silence falls in the room. My thoughts are running on overdrive until I can no longer hold them in.
“You called me your fiancée,” I say quietly.
He sucks in a sharp breath, then leans in to whisper something in Addy’s ear. She nods and climbs off his lap, sitting in the chair after he stands.
He settles on the edge of the bed next to me and takes my hand.
“I did. I… don’t know why.” He pauses for the longest time and shakes his head. “Actually, I do know. Because I love you, Savannah. I have for a while, but I didn’t want to say it too soon and scare you away. But after what happened…”
His voice cracks.
“I was terrified. It could have been a lot worse and the thought of losing you…” He takes in a deep breath. “Your instinct was to protect Adeline before yourself. I can never thank you enough for doing that. But if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying.”
He lifts our embraced hands and kisses my knuckles. When he sees me crying, he moves closer so he can kiss the tears while cupping my face in his large hands.
“I love you too, Reynold.”
His lips claim mine with a kiss packed full of hunger, relief, love, andpossession.
We only part because Addy is in the room, not that she’s paying attention to us. She found the remote and turned on the TV to watch cartoons.
“Yes,” I whisper, palming his cheek.
It takes him a moment to understand what I mean, then he’s kissing me all over again.
Chapter 24 – Reynold
I’mgoingtomarrythis woman. She said yes to the question I never officially asked her. She said yes to my slip up, calling her my fiancée because the moment I got the call from Larson saying to get to Addy’s school immediately, my heart raced with fear. I knew right then I wanted Savannah to be more. Hell, I knew just weeks after meeting her, but hearing that she was possibly in danger validated everything I’d been feeling for her.
I never believed in soulmates but with Savannah…
It’s almost as if she was put on that plane, in our row, in my path, because we were meant to meet and be together for the rest of our lives.
I want to kiss this woman forever, but we’re interrupted by a knock on the private room’s door. Henry, Larson, and Melanie walk in, followed by a detective who introduces himself as Bob. Bob is a burly man with light brown hair and a mustache. He’s not too tall and has a permanent scowl on his face.
“Tell me everything,” I demand.
